Conventional long form: Republic of Cabo Verde
Conventional short form: Cabo Verde
Local long form: Republica de Cabo Verde
Local short form: Cabo Verde
Etymology: the name derives from Cap-Vert (Green Cape) on the Senegalese coast, the westernmost point of Africa and the nearest mainland to the islands
History: previous 1981; latest effective 25 September 1992
Amendments: proposals require support of at least four fifths of the active National Assembly membership; amendment drafts require sponsorship of at least one third of the active Assembly membership; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly membership; constitutional sections, including those on national independence, form of government, political pluralism, suffrage, and human rights and liberties, cannot be amended; revised 1995, 1999, 2010
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Cabo Verde
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Chief of state: President Jorge Carlos FONSECA (since 9 September 2011)
Head of government: Prime Minister Ulisses CORREIA E. SILVA (since 22 April 2016)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 2 October 2016 (next to be held on 27 December 2020); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president
Election results: Jorge Carlos FONSECA reelected president; percent of vote - Jorge Carlos FONSECA (MPD) 74%, Albertino GRACA (independent) 23%, other 3%
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections: last held on 20 March 2016 (next to be held in 2021)
Election results: percent of vote by party MPD 54.5%, PAICV 38.2%, UCID 7%, other 0.3%; seats by party - MPD 40, PAICV 29, UCID 3; composition - men 57, women 15, percent of women 20.8%
Highest courts: Supreme Court of Justice (consists of the chief justice and at least 7 judges and organized into civil, criminal, and administrative sections)
Judge selection and term of office: judge appointments - 1 by the president of the republic, 1 elected by the National Assembly, and 3 by the Superior Judicial Council (SJC), a 16-member independent body chaired by the chief justice and includes the attorney general, 8 private citizens, 2 judges, 2 prosecutors, the senior legal inspector of the Attorney General's office, and a representative of the Ministry of Justice; chief justice appointed by the president of the republic from among peers of the Supreme Court of Justice and in consultation with the SJC; judges appointed for life
Subordinate courts: appeals courts, first instance (municipal) courts; audit, military, and fiscal and customs courts
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